Chelsea given encouragement over summer move for key winger target | OneFootball

Chelsea's push to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens has been boosted by the presence of a release clause in the 20-year-old's contract, a report has claimed.

Gittens, who spent a short time in the Chelsea academy, is enjoying a career year with Dortmund, racking up 11 goals and four assists across all competitions and attracting interest from a whole host of Premier League suitors.

Despite Gittens' good form, Dortmund have struggled horribly this season. They find themselves down in tenth in the Bundesliga, seven points adrift of the top four and facing the prospect of missing out on a place in next season's Champions League if they do not manage to win the competition this year.

Failing to secure a spot in Europe's top competition would be a huge blow to Dortmund's hopes of retaining Gittens, who has been valued at close to €100m (£84.8m).

If Dortmund do fail to qualify for the Champions League, The Athletic state there is a release clause in Gittens' contract which will become active.

The value of Gittens' exit clause is not known but is likely to offer encouragement to Chelsea as they seek to rejuvenate their options out wide.

Mykhailo Mudryk's future is uncertain as he continues to await a final verdict of his doping suspension, while Jadon Sancho could be returning to Manchester United if Chelsea pay a £5m penalty fee to walk away from their obligation to sign the winger permanently for around £25m.

Interestingly, it is though there is mutual interest in a reunion between Sancho and Dortmund, who could pursue the 25-year-old if they find themselves needing to replace Gittens.